In Laws
by DrawnToDarkness
Summary: Post 'Shining Armour and Silver Linings'. Jess and Becker, married in Medieval England, meet their respective parents and break the news...
1. Chapter 1

Title: In-Laws  
Author: DrawnToDarkness  
Rating: K+  
Pairing: Jess/Becker  
Summary: Post 'Shining Armour and Silver Linings'. Jess and Becker, married in Medieval England, meet their respective parents and break the news...  
Author's Note: As it was one of the most commonly requested post-story scenes... Here you go!

* * *

There wasn't a lot that scared Jess Parker – no, Jess _Becker_.

She'd lived through the end of the world and kept a calm, steady head as the people she cared about most went up against dinosaurs and an assortment of other creatures on a day-to-day basis. She'd been kidnapped by a psychopath and taken to the fifteenth century, where she'd lived – quite happily for the most part, it had to be said – for over six months.

This morning, however, she was nervous.

_Terrified_, in fact.

Her stomach churned, her mouth felt dry, her palms damp.

Her husband shook his head when he saw her, pale faced and almost trembling, and wrapped his arms around her as she stood in front of the full length mirror, glaring at the pale blue dress that she'd eventually chosen to wear out of the mountainous pile that had been haphazardly thrown on their bed.

"You look beautiful," Becker told her, nuzzling the side of her neck as she let her own hands rest over his. "Stop worrying; they're going to love you."

"Of course they are. I'm just the woman who ran off with their son and got eloped with behind their backs. They're going to _adore_ me." Jess scowled, though whether it was at him or at the cover story his family were to be told, Becker wasn't sure. "Have you ever taken anyone home to meet them before?"

He shook his head, shrugging a shoulder when she continued to stare at him. "I've had girlfriends, Jess. Just none I thought were important enough to meet them."

Holding his gaze in the mirror, Jess looked at him curiously. "Would you be taking me to meet them if we weren't married?"

"Of course." There was no doubt in his mind that he would, eventually, have introduced the woman in his arms to his family. "Please stop worrying. You've got no reason for it."

She rolled her eyes but turned in the circle of his arms to rest her head on his chest. "Your mother will hate me for depriving her of her chance to see her only son get married," she predicted glumly, her voice slightly muffled. "And if your sisters are as over-protective as you said they are, they'll probably hate me, too."

Becker ran his hand over her back soothingly. "I think Katie already likes you on account of her finally being able to relax because she knows I'm not going to be alone for the rest of my life," he assured her wryly, rolling his eyes at the memory of his older sister's reaction when he'd called to say not only was he home and safe but would be bringing someone to meet the rest of the family. "And as soon as Mel meets you, she'll be crazy about you, too."

"You haven't mentioned anything about your mother," Jess noted, lifting her head to look at him. "You think she'll hate me, don't you?"

Becker shook his head again and lowered his head to kiss her sweetly. "Once she meets you, she'll be thrilled." Though she'd been less than thrilled when he'd told her he'd not only be bringing a girlfriend home to meet her but his _wife_. Jess, however, didn't need to know that. Not when she was already so anxious about the upcoming introductions. "And my Dad's like Katie," he continued, pre-empting her next question. "He'll just be pleased I'm not on my own anymore."

"Well, that's something," Jess agreed with a sigh. She gazed up at him and lifted her arms to loop them around his neck. "At least neither of us are on our own anymore."

Unable to resist, he kissed her again, slowly and thoroughly. His hand moved to the zipper at the back of her dress almost of its own accord but Jess broke away with a breathless laugh, cheeks flushed and slightly swollen lips curved up in a smile.

"We are not going to be late," she told him sternly, her eyes bright despite her tone. "Go and let me finish getting ready."

"Can't I stay and keep you company?"

"Watch and distract me, you mean." Rolling her eyes at the pout on his face, Jess turned her attention to rummaging through her jewellery box. "Seriously, Becker, we're not going to be late. Not today."

Sighing heavily -mostly for dramatic effect - Becker left her to finish getting ready.

* * *

His father, as Becker predicted, welcomed her with open arms – literally. Having expected the retired Army Major to be as emotionally stand-offish as his son had been when she first met him, the warm and enthusiastic greeting she received from his father took Jess by surprise.

"Welcome to the family," the Major greeted her after stepping back from the unexpected embrace to study her with a warm smile. "I have to say, it's good to finally meet you!"

"_Finally_ meet me…?" Jess gave Becker a stunned, speculative look, arching an eyebrow when his cheeks flushed as he stepped forward to hug his father.

"Of course." Robert Becker gave her a grin that was so like his son's, Jess couldn't help but smile back. "Hilary's told me all about you. You are his Field Co-ordinator, aren't you?"

"I am." Choosing to be amused by Becker's embarrassment rather than tongue-tied at the praise, Jess shook her head and let the older Becker take her arm to lead her further into the large house they'd driven to on the outskirts of London. "And now you have me worried, Major. I didn't know he'd mentioned me…"

"Only good things, my dear. And it's Robert, please." Becker's father squeezed her arm companionably. "He said you're the best Field Co-ordinator he's had the honour of serving with. Isn't that right, Hilary?"

Trailing behind them, Becker rolled his eyes but Jess saw the flush continue to rise in his cheeks and smiled. "Jess knows I think she's brilliant, Dad," he said eventually, holding Jess's gaze as he spoke. "You don't need to embarrass me."

"Is that not what a father does, son?" Robert's grin was mischievous, and he winked at Jess when she laughed. "I've got plenty of stories and pictures and even some home videos to show this lovely lady. We haven't met any girl of yours before so I've been saving it all up."

Before Jess could say she looked forward to hearing all of the stories, the elder of the three women was sitting in the living room waiting for them rose gracefully from her chair and spoke up. "But this isn't just any girl, are you, dear? She's his _wife_."

The emphasis on the word – and the way Becker's mother didn't so much as look at her as scrutinise her from head to toe – made Jess want to flinch. She squared her shoulders and had to focus to keep the smile on her face, even when Becker moved to take his father's place and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Mum, Melissa, Katie," Becker addressed them as his sister's rose to stand with their mother. "This is Jess."

"Nice to meet you, Jess," Melissa – Mel – gave her a polite smile that was more curious than cold.

Katie, the eldest of the Becker's, didn't hold back. Ignoring the look she got from her mother, she moved towards the couple. "It's lovely to meet you at last," she beamed at Jess, holding out a hand. When Jess reached out to accept it, she found herself drawn into a hug as enthusiastic as the one she'd shared with Major Becker. "Seriously, I thought for a while Hil was making you up!"

"I told you I'd introduce you. Eventually." Becker defended himself as his oldest sister let Jess go only to turn her attentions to him. "And I am."

"Yes, after you've married the girl!" Katie rolled her eyes as she stepped away. "Though now I've seen her, I completely understand you had to act fast before she realises she's far too good for you." Moving to stand a short distance away, Katie put her hands on her hips and tried to look stern. "Now, what's this mum tells me about you being MIA?"

"Missing in action for a month and then you come back with a wife in tow." Mrs Becker looked between the couple with a questioning expression. "Would that be just a coincidence or..?"

"Why don't we go through to the dining room, darling?" Robert interrupted as Jess and Becker exchanged an almost panicked glance, neither having given much thought to the fact his family would have been informed he was MIA but both grateful, in that moment, that it'd only been five weeks for those at home as opposed to the six months they'd spent together through the anomaly. "I'm sure Jess and Hilary will tell us all about it over lunch."

* * *

Lunch was an awkward affair, from Jess's perspective. While she would have ordinarily loved getting a glimpse of Becker interacting with his sisters – it amused her to no end that he was very much the baby of the family and therefore teased mercilessly by Katie and Melissa – she was unable to simply enjoy the interplay between them, all too aware of Mrs Becker's almost disapproving gaze.

Evelyn Becker was not a happy woman. Oh, she loved her son – of that, Jess was certain – and she was pleased he'd made it back to them but she was obviously not so pleased with his decision to get married before having introduced his would-be wife to the family. He was her only son, her youngest child, and Jess tried to tell herself that Evelyn was justified in feeling the way she did but knowing that didn't help ease Jess's discomfort.

Robert, the sweetheart, did his best to change that. While Becker was distracted by trying to hold his own against his sisters, Robert kept Jess engaged in conversation, asking her about herself and trying to draw his wife into the discussion, too.

"Just how old are you, Jessica?" Evelyn's question came out of the blue, her voice sharp. "You don't look old enough to be so accomplished."

"I'm twenty-one," Jess answered without missing a beat. "I went to university early."

Before his mother could say anything else, Becker rejoined the conversation and put his hand over Jess's where it rested on the table. "I told you she was brilliant. Jess is practically a genius."

"So you're a career girl, then?" Almost ignoring her son, Evelyn fixed her gaze on Jess.

"I wouldn't say that, exactly. I love my job but there's not much of a career ladder at work to climb as such so..." Jess shrugged. "I wouldn't say that."

Robert smiled at her and nudged his wife. "I think what Evie is trying to ask is if you have any plans for a family. Now that you're married and all."

"Oh. Well. We..." Jess felt her cheeks flood with heat. "Um."

"We've discussed it. Briefly," Becker injected smoothly. "And it'll happen eventually."

"Eventually," Evelyn repeated at the same time as Jess turned to Becker, a soft smile curling her lips as she asked "it will?"

"It will." Matching her smile with one of her own, the couple shared a moment that was only interrupted when Katie let out a loud "aww..." Turning his attention back to his parents, Becker squeezed Jess's hand. "But first we've got to renew our vows."

"We do?" It was news to Jess, who stared at him in shock.

"You are?" Evelyn smiled for the first time since greeting them earlier. "Oh, Hilary. That would be wonderful. Will it be a quiet ceremony or a big wedding? We'll have to invite your Great Aunt Annabelle, you know. She's been like a grandmother to you. I was dreading having to break it to her that you got married without the family there. And then..."

Robert cleared his throat before Evelyn could continue making plans. He caught Becker's eye before casting a meaningful glance at the young woman sitting beside his son. "Maybe you should have discussed that with your wife before making an announcement, son."

Finding herself the centre of attention, Jess bit her lip and carefully pulled her hand free from Becker's. "If you'll excuse me for a moment."

"Jess." Ignoring him, Jess got to her feet and left the room, leaving the Becker family staring after her. "We'll be back in a minute," Becker murmured, getting to his feet and following his wife out of the room.

"Jess?" He found her standing outside, arms wrapped around her waist as if warding off a non-existent chill in the air. "Are you okay?"

Jess didn't answer immediately. She kept her back to him, shoulders tensed as she stared out over the garden that was his father's pride and joy.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought... I thought you'd want, you know, make it official in front of everyone."

"It already is official, Becker. Or at least I thought it was." Arms stilled wrapped around her middle, Jess turned to face him, keeping a small amount of distance between them when he would have reached for her. "Did our vows mean nothing to you?"

"What? Of course they did – they do." Becker took a step closer to her. "Jess."

"I mean, I know it wasn't really something we had a choice in. We got married because it was the only way we would be allowed to stay together but I thought it meant something. I thought we were both on the same page, that we were married properly without regrets."

"We are! We..."

"Then why do you want to get remarried? Why say we have to make things official if they already are?" Her eyes shimmered but Jess blinked the tears away, staring at him evenly. "I gave you a chance to walk away from this, to walk away from me, and you didn't.

"And I'm still not." Unable to go without touching her for a moment more, Becker closed the gap between them and grasped her shoulders. He pulled her towards him almost roughly before kissing her, deeply and desperately. "I love you, Jessica. I want to be married to you, stay married to you. And I want to marry you again, in front of all of our family and friends, so that everyone knows how much I love you. If you don't want to..."

"I love you, too." Lifting her hands to his chest, Jess sighed as he let her forehead rest against hers. "If renewing our vows is what you want to do..."

"Only if you want it, too." He pulled back to look at her. "Seriously, Jess, if you don't want to get married, we don't have to."

"We already are," Jess pointed out. "And I'd be honoured to marry you again. It's just... Don't expect my parents to show up, okay? We're not the closest family in the world." Before he could question her, she smiled slightly. "Maybe this time I won't be so nervous and I'll actually be able to remember what happens."

"You were nervous last time?" He gave her an amused look.

"You couldn't tell?" Jess rolled her eyes. "Becker, I'm lucky I remembered my own name."

"I'm lucky there was something there telling me what to say," he admitted. "I lost the ability to speak for myself the moment I saw you in that dress."

"Have I thanked you recently for coming after me?" She bit her lip as she gazed up at him. "If you hadn't, if Patrick had been able to..."

"He didn't. I won't let anyone hurt you, Jess. I swear I won't." It was a promise she knew he'd keep.

"You never do," she murmured. "You always save me when I need you to."

"It's only fair. You saved me." He moved his finger over her lips before she could protest. "You saved me the moment you walked into my life. Before you, I was ready to give up. I wouldn't have cared if I went to deal with an anomaly and didn't come back. You changed that, Jess. You gave me a reason to keep fighting."

Someone cleared their throat before she could answer. They broke apart, sheepish, and turned as one to look at Evelyn. From the expression on her face, she'd heard more of their conversation than she should have.

"I don't want to know the details," she began by saying, "I don't need to. All I need to know now is how soon we're going to get this wedding arranged."

"The sooner, the better," Becker answered for them both. "But don't get too carried away, mum."

"Of course not." Evelyn dismissed the warning with the wave of a hand. "Now, Jessica, we need to get our heads together. My son tells me you're a genius when it comes to details and there'll be lots of those to sort out..." Linking arms with her stunned daughter-in-law, Evelyn gave her a genuine smile. "Oh, and welcome to the family. It truly is a delight to meet you."

* * *

_Up next... The Parkers..._


	2. Chapter 2

_Note: One day, I will write Jess having a wonderful mum and dad and a loving, happy childhood. One day! And yes, this version of the Beckers (and Parkers) are deliberately different to the ones in the Milestones series. It would've been too easy to write them in the same way - and too confusing for my little brain to keep track!_

* * *

For some reason, Becker wasn't nervous. He thought he should be – he was about the meet his in-laws for the first time, after all – but instead he was perfectly calm.

_Too_ calm, according to Jess.

But he dealt with dinosaurs and other creatures who wanted to eat him on a daily basis. Meeting Jess's parents... He could handle it. He could. He loved their daughter, would do everything he could to make her happy – would even give his life to save hers. Surely they couldn't find fault with that – with him?

Jess was sure they wouldn't, but then Jess had explained she wasn't exactly close to her family so didn't expect them to care one way or another. Her matter-of-fact attitude surprised him; he'd always imagined Jess came from a close, loving family so to learn that she didn't was unexpected.

And was something he was determined to change.

She'd been closed to her grandmother, Mary, but the woman had died some years before. Her parents had always travelled a lot when she was younger so Jess, their only child, had been left with Mary. As a result, she wasn't particularly close to either her mother or father and had been reluctant to arrange a meeting when Becker has asked her to.

Even knowing that, after meeting them at the exclusive restaurant the Parker's preferred to dine in whenever they were in London, Becker was surprised that the first thing Jess's mother did on hearing the news that her only child was married was to lower her wine glass and stare at Jess with a vaguely horrified expression on her face.

"You're not _pregnant_, are you, Jessica?"

Jess rolled her eyes but Becker felt her tense at the table beside him. "No, Mother. I'm not pregnant. Not yet."

"Oh, good." Kathleen Parker picked up her glass again and smiled. "I'm _far_ too young to be a grandmother, you know. What would the girls say?"

Her laugh was as false as her nails and the hair extensions she wore and Becker found himself staring at her in complete surprise, wondering how the hell the self-absorbed people opposite him had created the wonderful and warm woman he'd married.

"You should try and get used to the idea, Mother." Jess gripped his hand under the table. "We are planning to start a family eventually."

"Oh, must you?" Kathleen asked with a disappointed sigh. "Nothing is ever the same once you have a child, Jessica. Your body never truly feels like yours again. And are you sure you want to risk your husband losing interest in you? He's quite a catch, you know. You did say he's a Captain, didn't you?"

Becker wasn't sure what he was most insulted by; being talked about as though he wasn't there or the insinuation that he'd find Jess any less desirable after she'd had his child. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he was on Jess's behalf at the way Kathleen Parker spoke as though having a child – of having Jess – was something she found distasteful and regretful.

Only Jess's hand on his kept him from responding. Becker instead bristled in silence, and glared at Stuart Parker, who seemed far more interested in ogling the pretty young women at the table next to theirs than in defending his daughter or even listening to what it was she'd brought them there to say.

"_Anyway,_" Jess continued, undeterred by her mother's comments or her father's lack of interest, "the other reason we wanted to see you, other than introducing you to Becker, is to let you know that we're planning to renew our vows. It'll only be a small ceremony, for close family and friends..."

"And you want us to help you pay for it, is that it?" Her father, speaking for the first time since they'd sat down, suddenly spoke up. "Father of the bride foots the bill?"

"Not at all. We're paying for it ourselves." Jess barely managed to stifle a sigh. "All we wanted to know is whether or not you'd be able to attend."

In Becker's experience, ordinary parents wouldn't have needed to be asked – and if they were, they would have accepted the invitation immediately. Jess's parents, he was quickly coming to learn, were far, far from his definition of 'ordinary'.

"It depends when it is, dear," Kathleen answered after a pause, her husband losing apparent interest in the conversation again now he'd been assured his bank balance wouldn't be affected. "We have a very busy schedule, you know. It's the height of the social season..."

"It's next month. The twenty-fifth. If you can make it, please let us know so we can put you on the guest list." Jess got to her feet, her face expressionless but Becker could see the flicker of rejection in her eyes. "Come on, Becker. Let's not take up any more of their time."

"I'll follow you out." Becker caught the surprise on her face but Jess didn't protest when he gave her a reassuring grin. As she left the dining room, Becker stood slowly, fixing her parents with the look that made soldiers with years of field experience quake in their military issue boots. "Your daughter is an amazing woman and I have no idea how she came to be that way with you two as parents. She deserves far better than both of you."

He wanted to say more, wanted to uninvited them from the wedding, to say they wouldn't be welcome as the ceremony was only for family and friends who cared for the couple. For Jess's sake, he bit his tongue and held his temper in check, following his wife out of the restaurant as her bemused parents looked on.

* * *

Two days later, an immaculately addressed envelope arrived in the post. In it, her parents sent their apologies that they were unable to attend the wedding and stated that it clashed with another event in their diaries. Becker was furious on Jess's behalf; Jess was entirely unsurprised.

The cheque that Mr Parker sent with it, written out for an amount that made Becker's jaw drop, was returned to the absent parents with a curtly written 'thank you but no thank you' note from their daughter.

Becker tried to talk to Jess about it but she brushed off his concerns with a bright smile and a dismissive _'I'm used to it, Becker. I told you, not everyone's families are as close as yours.'_ He mentioned his concerns to their teammates but Jess wouldn't speak to any of them, either. Nor would she talk to his mother or sisters, all of whom had been shocked when Becker had told them the Parkers wouldn't be attending the wedding of their only child.

Evelyn, having warmed to her daughter-in-law following the conversation she'd overheard and through spending time with her while pouring over wedding plans, had been appalled. She'd gotten angry on Jess's behalf, even going as far as to insist Becker give her Kathleen Parker's contact details so she could _"give that woman a piece of my mind"_ but her son refused, knowing it would only make things worse.

The morning after putting together what she hoped was the final guest list, her parent's names noticeably absent, Jess took matters into her own hands and broached the subject with the one person she felt she could talk to.

Knocking on the door to Lester's office, she waited until he called out an impatient "yes, what is it?" before entering, being sure to close the door behind her.

"Ah, Jess." Lester's cool expression warmed a little as he looked up from the stack of reports he'd been reading to see his Field Co-ordinator standing in front of his desk, hands clasped behind her back. "Please tell me you don't have another report I simply have to review before going home this evening. I'm going to be late for dinner as it is and you can be sure that my wife will not be pleased."

"You've got all the reports that need to be signed off." Still, Jess stood almost at attention in front of him. "I wanted to speak to you about... about a personal matter but if you're busy, I can come back later or tomorrow or..."

"No, no. Take a seat." Curious, and aware of the concerns the core team had about her, Lester waved her into the chair opposite his desk. "A little distraction from the monotony of reviewing the menagerie budgets will do me good." He waited until she'd sat down before continuing. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"It's about the wedding," Jess started, fidgeting nervously with the wedding ring that graced her finger. "I was wondering... You're still going to be there, aren't you? And Eleanor and the boys?"

Lester nodded, his expression carefully neutral. "We are. Eleanor was thrilled to be invited." His wife, Lester knew, had a soft spot for the Field Co-ordinator on account of preferring her over the half-dozen PA's Lester had employed and fired over the course of his career.

Jess smiled but it was weak, nervous. "I... Um."

"Just spit it out, Jess." He let his voice drop, allowing her to hear the concern in it. When she looked up at him, he gave her a rare smile. "We've been through enough for you to be able to say what you want in front of me."

"I was wondering... hoping... that you'd agree to give me away," she said in a rush. "I mean, you don't have to. I'd understand if you don't want to. But you're the nearest thing I've got to a father, one who actually cares about me who I care about, and my own parents won't be there as I'm sure you've already heard. And anyway, it was my Grandmother who brought me up, and she's gone so I thought... I hoped..."

"Jessica." His use of her full name stopped her mid-ramble and Jess looked up from her hands cautiously. "I would be honoured to give you away if you're sure it's what you want."

"It is." She exhaled slowly, a brilliant smile spreading over her face. "It really, really is."

"Then I will gladly give you away." And he was touched, to both be asked and to hear that her feelings for him echoed his for her.

"Thank you." Jess's shoulders finally relaxed and she stopped twirling the ring on her finger. "It means a lot."

"Likewise." Lester watched her smile again and get to her feet, obviously planning to leave now she had the answer she'd been looking for. "And Jess? If your father were to show up, I wouldn't be offended if you would prefer..."

"I won't. I mean, even if he does turn up..." She shrugged a shoulder, her eyes locking with his. "My parents never wanted a child. They've made no secret of it. They had me because their friends were having children and it was the fashionable thing to do. I know Becker doesn't understand that but I made my peace with it a long time ago. This wedding is supposed to be our chance to share the experience with our families, the people that matter most to us. For me, that's you and the others. And even if my parents do decide to put in an appearance, it would mean more to me to have you walk me down the aisle."

Clearing his throat, Lester gave her another nod. "Then that's what I'll do."

She gave him another smile before slipping out of the room, closing the door behind her. Lester watched her through the glass wall of his office as she walked towards her chair at the ADD, noting the bounce in her step and the smile on her face as she was joined by her husband.

He saw the moment Jess broke the news to Becker of what she'd done, saw the realisation cross over his Head of Security's face and was still looking when Becker glanced towards him. The two men exchanged a look and a nod, and Lester turned his attention back to the pile of reports on his desk, ducking his head to conceal the grin that arranged his lips.

As far as son-in-laws went, he mused as he signed his name with a flourish at the end of the budget report, he could do a lot worse than Captain Becker.

* * *

_End  
The story will be continued in 'History Lessons' and 'Renewal'._


End file.
